Any downsides to implants?

[pixiedustaholic]

Dental implants that is. DD16 is missing the two top lateral permanent teeth so we have gone to the consultation with the periodontist for the implants and our family dentist for the crowns. Now that the sticker shock has worn off...I want to know if anyone has had them and now regrets it or has had problems? I need to know all of the positives and negatives to dental implants before we shell out that much money. We have already gone through $5800 in braces. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that so far this is the only thing that is "wrong" with DD so I do feel blessed. I just want to make sure we are on the right path and making the right choice with implants. Thanks!

 

[cndij]

No firsthand experience, but my husband has an aunt who had it done 5 years ago, and is still happy with them. Have you considered medical tourism? The reason I ask is I have seen several articles about it, and there are certain countries that specialize in certain kind of procedures, and it seems like Hungary was one for dental work. A lot of times the cost is like 25% of having it done here, and even when you add in the travel expense, it could still be half. I will try to find one of those articles and link it here.

 

[cndij]

Here's one of the articles I was talking about:
http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/6-things-you-need-to-know-about-getting-medical-ca,8135/

My nephew's best friend recently went to Costa Rica for some extensive dental procedures, was very happy with the results, and had a blast on his pre-surgery vacation there.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I have a dental implant which was completed about 2 years ago and have had zero problems and am very happy with it. Yes, it was very expensive!

I would not recommend doing this overseas, especially for a 16 year old.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

Here's one of the articles I was talking about:
http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/6-things-you-need-to-know-about-getting-medical-ca,8135/

My nephew's best friend recently went to Costa Rica for some extensive dental procedures, was very happy with the results, and had a blast on his pre-surgery vacation there.

Thank you for the information but I personally know these doctors...one I even went to high school with so I am very confident in their abilities. Plus, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with my child having surgery in another country unless it was a last resort to something that was life threatening. Again, thank you for the info. though. Interesting to know.

 

[jrmasm]

My dentist won't do implants before age 18. Not sure why but might be worth exploring.

 

[MrsToad]

I had a dental implant put in about 7 years ago to replace an adult tooth that was never there. I later had a second implant to replace the neighboring tooth that was damaged due to earlier advice (that I wish I'd never taken) to use a crown with an attached fake tooth to solve the problem of the original missing tooth. That neighboring, originally healthy tooth ended up requiring a root canal, and it eventually broke. Does all of that make sense?

I am very happy with the first implant. However, when the crown was put on for the second implant, I didn't realize that it was too high until I bit down on something hard. This caused the implant to loosen in the bone. I had the crown fixed and we waited to see if the implant would firm up again. During the following 18 months, it seemed like it was tightening, then it would loosen again. It never really completely firmed up and eventually it became infected and had to come out. I am having that implant replaced in a few weeks.

I still have zero problems with the first implant and am happy I went with that option. As to the second implant, it is very important to make sure the bite is correct when the crown goes on, but my experience is not preventing me from replacing the implant - I'll just be super careful to make sure the crown fits well this time.

After having previously experienced the "fake tooth attached to the crowned neighboring tooth" solution, I find the daily care of the implants to be much easier than trying to floss under that fake tooth. It's like the implant is a regular tooth. I brush well, floss around the implants, and have my teeth cleaned by the dentist and periodontist every three months, alternating between them. The actual recommendation was to have a cleaning every four months, but the three-month schedule works for me.

The cost of the implants hurts, and even more so since I'm paying for the second implant twice, but I have no regrets, other than not having noticed that the crown was too high. Going with implants is also an option to fill an empty space that does not require changes to the neighboring teeth.

Best of luck to your daughter.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

My dentist won't do implants before age 18. Not sure why but might be worth exploring.

They need to make sure they are finished growing and at this point they are pretty certain she is done. This probably won't happen until closer to her 17th b.day or beyond anyway.

 

[coopcd]

My daughter is also 16 and is missing an adult tooth. After braces we thought an implant would be the next step. Our dentist and ortho both advised not to do an implant until she is early 20's as the jaw is still growing/ expanding. We ended up doing a "temporary" bridge for now.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

My daughter is also 16 and is missing an adult tooth. After braces we thought an implant would be the next step. Our dentist and ortho both advised not to do an implant until she is early 20's as the jaw is still growing/ expanding. We ended up doing a "temporary" bridge for now.

That is interesting. I have had 2 dentists, her ortho and the periodontist say between 16 and 18 years old. I will definitely question them again though.

 

[ceecee]

The usual age is over 20. I had one in the early 80's, it failed because there wasn't enough bony support. Things have come a long way since then. We have had quite a few patients in our office have them done and are very successful. Oral surgeons and periodontists are the best to go to.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

The usual age is over 20. I had one in the early 80's, it failed because there wasn't enough bony support. Things have come a long way since then. We have had quite a few patients in our office have them done and are very successful. Oral surgeons and periodontists are the best to go to.

Thank you. I have taken her to a periodontist that will actually have to do bone grafting on one side 3-4 months prior to the implant surgery. She lost the baby tooth on that side a few years ago but hasn't lost the baby tooth on the other side so the bone should be okay on that side. If not, he will graft that side as well.

 

[PatMcDuck]

DH has one, front top tooth, so it seemed worth it. He has had it for almost 20 years. In our case, the dental insurance covered it, we were lucky. (we lost dental insurance 4 years ago, glad we do not need to get it now)

 

[HLAuburn]

Just out of curiosity, about how much does an implant run? Also, is a bone graft usually necessary with an implant? From why I understand, a tooth "brings down" bone when it erupts, so if there isn't an an adult tooth to do that, I'm guessing the bone has to be grafted to support the implant?

When an implant is done on someone young, can you expect it to last a lifetime?

 

[floridafam]

Our son is going to need an implant after losing teeth in a bike accident. He just turned 17 and the dentist said he won't be ready until 18 or later.

I'd also like to know if anyone has had problems with their implant.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Our son broke his front tooth (after we spent $$$ and years on braces). One thing that surprised me about the new implant was the color. The dentist said he could not make it exactly the same color as his current teeth because as his teeth age, we want the implant to match his 'older' teeth. So it's close, but slightly off.
However, once it was in, our son said he didn't care what color it was, he never wanted to do that again!

 

[lindsey]

I am having an implant next month. Its been a slow process, but hopefully once completed I will not have any more problems. I had so much infection that they had to do bone grafting. My insurance paid for removal and bone grafting, but I have to pay for actual implant $1800. Good luck to your daughter.

 

[JaneSparrow]

I had an implant molar about 8 yrs ago but I was in my 30s then.

I've had no problems with my implant and would do it again if I lose a tooth. The advantage is that the implant keeps the gums/bone intact instead of receding like it would if you only have dentures there.

It feels weird at first but you do get used to it.

I do suggest that you discuss the cost with your dentist office as some of the procedures maybe covered by your insurance. I asked my dentist/surgeon to give me a breakdown of the cost. I am pretty sure that the crown was covered. I also used the Flexible Spending Account and spread the cost in 2 fiscal years. FSA reimburse you based on date the procedure was done and not billed. So I had the first 5K on year 1 and excess amount in year 2 - just something to think about.

As for age, I think that goes with the times. My 1 year old was seen this month by a pediatric dentist where my son goes to. I thought we have to wait for a certain age before taking them to the dentist and I am told that that is the old way. Nowadays, they have to be seen as soon as they have several teeth completely out.

 

[findmewdw]

My DS, 15, is still in braces, but is missing two teeth, too. The ortho has told me we will spend a fortune on his smile. I am watching this thread closely, too. I am interested in how much I will be looking into. . . I do remember that the ortho told me that he wouldn't be able to have the implant until early 20's because of his growth.

 

[magicaddict]

My husband had a couple implants done years ago and he's never had any problems. He wishes that he had gotten them instead of crowns that ended up going bad and required root canals.

My daughter is out of braces but is missing one of her adult canines so they did what's called a Maryland bridge because she's only 16 and they want to wait a few more years before doing the implant. The dentist thinks she might be able to get five or six years (possibly mor) out of this which would be great since my son is currently in braces. He's missing two incisors so we'll be repeating the whole procedure in a couple years when his braces come off.

I'm just glad we're able to carry them on our insurance until they're 26 so we can spread out all these very costly procedures. One tip I've heard is to go to a dental college if you have one nearby and have the drilling and post placement in the jaw done there because it's so much cheaper. Your personal dentist is the one who would attach the new tooth to the post.

My husband jokes that even after all his other teeth fall out he'll still have those two implants going strong.